Emotional intelligence is currently considered important in the world of work. Emotional intelligence which is included in interaction and behavioral abilities or neuroscience abilities has even become one of the most sought-after soft skills by companies. Having emotional intelligence can support work routines, not only at work but also in daily life.
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence or emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, evaluate and respond to the emotions of oneself and others. A person is said to have emotional intelligence if he has the following elements:
1. Self-awareness
Self-awareness is about understanding yourself starting from your weaknesses and strengths, your values in yourself, and how they affect others. In practice, self-awareness can also be seen as self-confidence and openness to accept constructive criticism.
2. Self-management
Self-management can be interpreted as the ability to regulate and manage one’s emotions. It’s not about having to hide emotions for a while, but about how to express emotions appropriately. Someone who has good self-management tends to be flexible, able to adapt to change, able to manage conflict and relieve tense situations.
3. Motivation
Motivation will also play a role in one’s emotional intelligence skills. Emotionally intelligent people are usually motivated by things other than external rewards such as money, recognition, and praise. Instead, they are motivated by a desire to fulfill their own inner needs and goals. That’s why people who have emotional intelligence tend to always try to do things better, are more committed, optimistic, and will take the initiative when tasks are given to them.
4. Empathy
Empathy is also another important element for someone who has emotional intelligence. Empathy here is not only interpreted as the ability to understand other people’s feelings but also involves appropriate responses and actions in response to them. This is especially important in the work environment because it will affect a person’s ability to relate to employees who come from across cultures and make decisions.
5. Social skills
People who have emotional intelligence can build good relationships with other people. To have good social intelligence, communication skills, listening skills, persuasion, and leadership skills are also needed.
Emotional intelligence can also help improve communication skills, problem-solving skills, management, and employee relations in the workplace. In addition, having employees with emotional intelligence will also contribute to the company. Companies can save on recruitment costs because employees with emotional intelligence will generally be more committed to the job and the company.
Having employees who have emotional intelligence can also create a positive work environment where because of each other they have a good working relationship.
There are several forms of applying emotional intelligence that you can do to build and improve your emotional intelligence skills, such as:
1. Learn to manage negative emotions
Even though it is difficult, try to control the negative emotions in yourself. Try to look at things objectively so you don’t get irritated easily. Learn to manage these emotions at work and watch how your view of things and situations will slowly change.
2. Practice communication skills
Practice being a better communicator at work by considering the vocabulary you use frequently. People with emotional intelligence will tend to use more specific words to help communicate their shortcomings and then try to overcome them.
3. Learn to be more empathetic to others
Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes to understand how they feel. By doing this you can respond appropriately to conversations and situations.
4. Socialize
Social skills will greatly affect your emotional intelligence. Improve social skills by being a good listener to others, paying attention to non-verbal communication, and practicing problem-solving skills when conflicts arise.
5. Develop self-motivation
People with emotional intelligence will easily motivate themselves without having to wait for other people to motivate them.
6. Apply active listening skills
One example of the application of emotional intelligence and how to develop it is to always listen actively or actively listening when listening to the explanations of people at work.
Make sure that you understand what the other person is saying before responding. Also, pay attention to the details of the existing nonverbal conversations. This is useful so that you can respond properly, prevent misunderstandings, as well as show respect for the other person